Concentrator



@c&. 6, 1936,

E. R. HORTON CONCENTRATOR Filed Dec. 50, 1932 I] ..;i;;: I INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1936 UNITED STATES A PATENT OFFICE Thisinvention relates to concentrators for the extraction of values frommetalliferous substances, either in the form of finely divided ores orplacer deposits. The invention is particularly adapted for thelast-mentioned purpose since it is based, in its operation, upon theprinciple of the 'we11-known hand-operated gold pan which for many yearshas been accepted as providing the best method of small scale placergold recovery.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple mechanicallyoperated apparatus which, in a succession of steps, will effect a cleanseparation of gold from dirt in auriferous deposits.

character, operating on the before-mentioned gold pan principle, whichis of sufiicient capacity to be profitable, especially on low grade golddeposits, and further objects reside in details of construction and anovel arrangement and combination of parts as will be fully described inthe course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, in the several views of which like partsare similarly designated,

Figure l is a partially broken plan view of the apparatus,

Figure 2, a sectional and partially broken side elevation of the same,

Figure 3, a section taken on the line 3-3 of a Figure 2,

Figure 4, an enlarged fragmentary section of the element of theapparatus in which the material is treated for the extraction of itsauriferous constituents, and a Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentarysection, showing the construction of one of the sections of which theelements is composed.

Referring further to the drawing, the reference numeral 5 designates asuitable support, preferably in the form of a frame having at one end astep-bearing 6 for the supportof the goldsaving element of theapparatus. This elementis composed of a numberof pan-shaped sectionsnested-one above another for the treatment of the material in successivesteps.

The upper section or pan 1 consists of a pref erably cylindrical wallsupporting two screens 8 and 9 of different meshes, one above the other.The screens slant rearwardly and the upper screen is of larger mesh thanthe-lower one. The upper portion of the pan is shaped to provide ahopper it], into which the material is fed either by means of shovels orby a feed-belt or other suitable device. Beneath a lip l2 at therearward T side of the hopper is a perforated water pipe I3, for theprovision of a wash water in streams-directed to the forward side of thepan. These streams form a curtain of water thru which all the materialdischarging from the hopper, is passed. At the side of the sectionopposite to Another object is to provide apparatus of thisthe hopper, isa spout M to discharge the oversizes of both screens, outside the pan.The next following section, i5, is composed of a cylindrical wall madeof copper and mercury-coated for the amalgamation of fine or flour goldin the mateside an outlet I! for the passage of the material to the nextlower section l8. 7

This next lower section and the lowermost section l9 each consist of apan having a solid bottom or 2|, and upon said bottom a covering 22 or23 of rubber matting held in place by a wire screen 24 or 25.

The outlet ll of the amalgamating-pan I5 is connected with an inletopening 26 in the wall of -the section l8, by means of a passage 21 atthe forward side of the element. has opposite to its inlet 26 anoutlet28 which is connected with an inlet 29 in the wall of thelowermost section I9 by a passage 30. Opposite toi the inlet of thelowermost section is a spout 3 l tor the discharge of tailings from theelement. At the bottom of thelowermost section is a pin 3 I and asurrounding ball race 32 for the rotary support of the element on thestep-bearing 6 of the frame 5. A ball bearing 33 between the ball raceand-the bearing is provided for the usual purpose.

The several pan-shaped sections of the concentrating element are nestedone upon another and they are clamped together by means of screw-rods34pi voted at 31 on spider arms 36 beneath the bottom of the lowermostsection, and engaging in slotted lugs 35 on the wall of the uppermostsection.

Wing'nuts 38 on the threaded ends of the rods engage with 'the lugs tofasten the sections together. It will be apparent that the severalsections thus united may operate as a single unit by movement'about itsvertical axis.

Inthe operation of the apparatus, a rotary reciprocating motion isimparted to the unit by means ofa shaft 39 -mounted in bearings 40 onthe frame. The shaft receives its movement from a conveniently locatedengine by means of a pulley 4i, and it carries at its end adjacent theelement,-a crank-wheel 42 having one or more eccentric openings 43. Intothis opening projects a wrist pin on a yoke 45, the legs of which are attheir extremities pivotally connected with saddles '46 below thelowermost section of the element.

Rotation of the crank shaftis by these means converted into-a rotaryreciprocating movement of the unit, closely resembling the movementmanually imparted by placer-miners to the handpan commonly used inpanning placer deposits.

The section I5 20 -covering the entire surfaces of the pans.

Rapid rotation of the crank wheel and the short component stroke inducedthereby, impart a vibratory motion of considerable intensity to theunit.

The material deposited in the hopper of the nest of pans, is washedtoward the upper side of the upper screen by "water ejected through theperforations of the pipe 93.

The shaking or vibratory motion of the unit causes the finer particlesto pass through the. meshes of the coarse screen 8 onto thelower andfiner screen 9, while the coarsest particles are discharged through thespout l4. By the same movement, the material is again separated intofines passing through the lower screen, and an oversize dischargedthrough the same spout.

The material passing through the finer screen, falls into the firstconcentrator pan which amalgamates the gold in the material, principal ythe finer sizes.

The shaking motion of the unit allows the screened products to come inclose contact with the amalgam-covered surface of the pan, and

in successive steps substantially all the gold contained in thematerial, and the worthless gangue is discharged from the unit throughthe spout 3|. As indicated by the arrows in Figure 4, the

material and the-wash waterrpass. through the concentrating pans inazig-zag course, thereby The nest of pans may be slightly tilted by theuse of a shim or otherwise, therebystill further simulating the motionimparted to the hand-operated gold pan, and by forming the eccentricholes of -;the crank-wheel 42 at different distances from;

its center of rotation, the shaking or rotary reciprocating motion ofthe nest of pans may be varied according to the requirement of thematerial under treatment. j

Owingto the simple method of fastening the pans together, they areeasily, disconnected and separately removed for cleaning purposes, itbeing understood that the passages 21 and 30 are rigidly connected withonly one of the pans as clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawing.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A concentrator comprising a unit mounted for rotary reciprocationabout a vertical axis, a crank wheel mounted for rotation about ahorizontal axis in a plane transverse to its said axis and parallel tothe axis of rotation of the concentrator unit, and a forked rodconnecting the crank-wheel with theunit at tworadially spaced points totransmit the movement of the crankwheel into a vibratory movement of theunit.

2. A concentrator comprising a unit mounted for rotary reciprocationaboutavertical axis, a

crank-wheel mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis in a planetransverse to" its said axis and parallel ,to theaxis of rotation of theconcentrator unit, a yoke connecting the crank-wheel with the unit atseparated points to transmit the movement of the crank-wheel into avibratory movement of the unit.

3. A concentrator comprising a unit mounted for rotary reciprocationabout a vertical axis, a crank-wheel mounted for rotation about ahorizontal axis in a plane transverse to its said axis and parallel tothe axis of rotation of the con- *centrator unit, having an eccentricopening and l .a .rodconnecting the crank-wheel with the unit at twoangularly spaced points and having a wrist pin' extending loosely thruthe openings in the crank wheel;

4. In a, concentrator having a circular screen, a substantiallysemi-circular hopper located over the screen, and a water supply pipeextending along the chord side of the hopper, the pipe having a seriesof perforations on the side facing the curved side of the hopper wherebya plurality of fine water streams will be projected across the hopper.

5. A concentrator comprising a frame mounted for oscillation, a yokehaving its two ends pivotally attached to the frame for oscillationabout pivots that extend at right angles to the axis of oscillation, theyoke having a wrist pin, a shaft 7 mounted to rotate on an axisperpendicular to the axis of oscillation and a crank wheel carried 7 bythe shaft, the crank wheel having an eccentrically located opening forthe reception of the wrist pin whereby when the crank wheel is r0- tatedthe frame will be oscillated.

6. A concentrator comprising a plurality of concentrating pans placedone above another in nested arrangement, the lower pan supporting allabove it, for the successive treatment of material fed onto theuppermost pan, the nested pans having flat horizontal bottoms and beingmounted for rotary reciprocation about a vertical axis and the pans,each of the upper pans having overflow means connected to the next lowerpan, the overflow means of each pan being diametri cally opposite thecorresponding overflow means of adjacent pans, the level of the overflowmeans of each pan being above the bottom thereof, the lowermost panhaving an outlet at a point diametrically opposite to the point whichconnects with the I panimmediately above the same, whereby the materialmust follow a zig-zag course along the entire working surfaces of thepans in its passage from the upper pan to the outlet. r

'7..A concentrator comprising a plurality of concentrating pans placedone above another in nested arrangement, the lower pan supporting allabove it, for the successive treatment of material fed onto theuppermost pan, the nested ly above the same, whereby the materialmustfollow a zig-zag course along the entire work ing surfaces of the pansin its passage from the upper pan to the outlet, and clamping means forholding the pans in assembled relation.

ENOS R. HORTON.

